Granada - Part I

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As we only had one full day to explore Granada, we were up early for sightseeing. We began by walking from our hotel near the river Darro to the Catedral de Granada a few blocks away. Here’s a nice plaza that we passed through on the way (part of the Alhambra is visible in the top-right corner of the photo).

 

Before reaching the cathedral we stopped in La Madraza, a building that served as a Moorish university through the 15^th century and is now part of the University of Granada. The following room was particularly beautiful, with intricate designs on the walls and ceiling.

 

 

Granada's cathedral was built during the 16^th and 17^th centuries following the conquest of Los Reyes Católicos, Ferdinand and Isabella, over Granada’s Muslim rulers in 1492 (shortly before Columbus’ historic voyage). As was common at the time, it was built on the site of the city’s main mosque.

Given the cathedral’s size and the proximity of the surrounding buildings, the only way to get a good photo was from a distance (I took the following one later in the day).

Up close, the cathedral is noetheless impressive. I particularly liked the cathedral's interior, which had a lot of intricate design and didn't come off as over the top.

 

 

Adjacent to the cathedral is the Capilla Real (Royal Chapel), the mausoleum that serves as the final resting place of Ferdinand and Isabella. No pictures were allowed on the inside, so you’ll have to take my word that it’s worth the visit.

 

We walked around for a bit afterwards and came across a large open-air market. For most people, the olives in the following picture are mouth-watering. I, on the other hand, can’t stand them. The smell alone is tough for me to handle.

Our next destination was El Albayzin, a Moorish neighborhood that dates back to the 14th century. It is defined by extremely narrow, undulating streets and a sea of white houses.

The area above El Albayzin is known as Sacromonte and is the historical Gitano (gypsy) quarter. Supposedly the caves in Sacromonte are a great place to see a Flamenco show, but unfortunately Emilie and I weren’t able to see one there.

At the heart of El Albazin is the Plaza de San Nicholas, which offered a fantastic view of the Alhambra – the Moorish palace and fortress complex in the hills above Granada (which happened to be our next stop).